The Thanksgiving and Black Friday games have removed eight teams from the weekend slate, but with no teams on a bye, DFS enthusiasts still have plenty of options to build a winning lineup on Sunday.
Here is a look at some of my DFS picks for Week 12 of NFL action.
Week 12 DFS Locks
Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles ($8,300)
Black Friday may have most folks in the mindset of looking for bargains this weekend, but I’m still willing to splurge on some expensive options for my DFS lineup this Sunday.
Despite limited production through the air against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football, Eagles QB Jalen Hurts still managed to generate a productive outing against one of the stingiest defenses in the league with two rushing touchdowns.
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Another tough matchup against a banged-up Bills defense isn’t enough to scare me off of Hurts this week. I can see Bills QB Josh Allen having success against the Eagles defense, which could turn this into a high-scoring affair.
Hurts production as a runner continues to give fantasy managers a reliable fantasy floor while his potential production through the air makes him worthy of his hefty price tag in Week 12.
Jerome Ford, RB, Cleveland Browns ($5,600)
The Cleveland Browns offense may be tough to watch for the remainder of the regular season with Dorian Thompson-Robinson under center, but the team remains firmly committed to running the football.
Browns RB Jerome Ford managed to find the end zone for the time since Week 7 against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, which helped salvage an otherwise modest fantasy performance.
The encouraging sign is that Ford has seen 10+ carries in all but two games this entire season and continues to be a focal point of the Browns’ offensive game plan every week.
And while the Broncos’ defense has certainly been much better over the last three weeks, they’ve still given up over 170 rushing yards in two consecutive games. If Ford sees a hefty amount of carries against this defense, then expect him to be a solid DFS option at the RB position in Week 12
A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles ($9,000)
Despite his historic production earlier this season, Philadelphia Eagles WR A.J. Brown easily had his worst game of his 2023 campaign on Monday with just one reception for 8 yards against the Chiefs.
If you recall, Brown and Hurts had a heated discussion on the sideline back in Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings when the dynamic wideout wasn’t heavily involved in the offense. In the very next game, Brown exploded for nine receptions and 131 receiving yards on 14 targets against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Expect Brown to see plenty of looks early in this contest to get him going against this Bills secondary.
Pat Freiermuth, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers ($2,900)
Since we are going with the expensive Philadelphia QB-WR stack for this slate, we need a paydown option at the TE position with some upside. The Pittsburgh Steelers pass catchers provide some reasonable upside this week with Matt Canada finally being relieved of his play-calling duties.
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To me, a new play-caller could take this opportunity to get Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth more involved in the offense against the Cincinnati Bengals, who give up an average of 11.5 fantasy points per game to opposing TEs this season.
Kansas City Chiefs D/ST ($3,100)
When you think of the Chiefs, the first player that comes to mind is QB Patrick Mahomes and their high-powered offense. However, the Kansas City defense has been mostly fantastic this season.
This week, they draw a matchup against Las Vegas Raiders rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell, who threw three costly interceptions last week against the Miami Dolphins. Expect some growing pains this week for the rookie signal-caller against a defense that has consistently locked up elite pass catchers this season.
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